Comedy Central Stand-Up Presents: Erik Griffin

Erik Griffin is not going to let a date pick the movie. That hardline stance anchors his 2013 half-hour set, where he vents his specific frustrations about cinema and romance. He mounts a loud, exasperated attack on Ryan Gosling’s romantic dramas, then pivots to the mechanics of horror. While he points out that scary movies are theoretically great for dates, he admits they fail him in practice because he simply gets too frightened. His annoyance reaches its peak when questioning the basic survival instincts of the homeowners in Paranormal Activity who refuse to just pack up and leave.

Filmed at the Royale in Boston, the performance captures a comic leaning into his core strengths—an imposing guy with a booming voice getting deeply worked up over trivial grievances. The set arrived during a breakout stretch for Griffin. He was gaining steady recognition for his recurring role as Montez Walker on the sitcom Workaholics, and released his debut comedy album Technical Foul: Volume One around the same time.